Tales from the Silk Roads

Storytelling

Interactive performances with stories adapted from Arabian Nights, spiritual/Sufi stories and mythic poems – the Hymn of the Pearl adapted from a 2000 year old Syrian spiritual poem; The Lady and the Suitors adapted from Arabian Nights; The Sufi and the Sleeping Man;The Quarrelling Neighbours…

Alia Alzougbi is a dynamic performer who combines an ornate ‘Arabic’ storytelling style with great acting abilities and gripping stories.

Dances from the Silk Roads

Arab Folkloric Dance

Shafeek Ibrahim is the only professional male Arabic folk dancer in Europe, and the only tanoura dancer in the UK. His experience and talents are vast. Having been devoted to dance since the age of eight, he has worked in theatres and shows all over Egypt. As an ex-Reda troupe member, his experience and training are well-respected. Though still in his twenties, he has already performed and taught at the country’s biggest Arabic dance events.

Shafeek has run international workshops and acted as dance judge including BBC’s Big Dance Mass.

www.shafeek-dance.com

Music from the Silk Roads

SILK ROADS ENSEMBLE

SILK ROADS ENSEMBLE brings together a group of musicians inspired by an intuitive, spiritual approach to world music. Khaled Hakim learnt to play Sufi daf (frame-drum) and to sing Turkish ilahis (spiritual songs) in the traditional ceremonies of a Sufi order.

Master flautist and composer Paul Cheneour has major film credits such as 6th Happiness and Hideous Kinky, and documentary credits such as BBC2’s Egyptian Journeys. As soloist Paul might play European flutes, Japanese or Indian bamboo flutes, or Turkish and Arabic neys, encompassing eastern and western music.

Lennie Charles studied classical cello and came to integrate the rhythms of his native Dominica, whose music was suppressed during British colonialism, with a fascination for Middle-Eastern music.

Guest artist Andrew Salida is a member of Los Desterrados, the premier sephardic group in the UK, playing flute and guitar, and singing in ‘ladino’ the Judeo-Spanish language of the sephardic diaspora.

AL FARABI ENSEMBLE

AL FARABI ENSEMBLE is the creation of master reedflute player and music director Louai Alhenawi who brought together a group of consummate Middle-Eastern musicians to play classical and Sufi music.

The group is named after the great 10th century Islamic philosopher, cosmologist, scientist, and musician.

At times lyrical, at other times ecstatic with powerful rhythms, the music is an authentic expression of Sufi traditions ― passionate, heartfelt, yearning for union with God. The London-based band is almost unique in Europe in playing Arabic Sufi music ― some of it traditional, some of it newly composed by Louai. Of course, in the Middle-Eastern style, the players are brilliant virtuosos who are expected at times to improvise their parts!

At the core of the band are traditional Sufi instruments ― the haunting ney (reedflute), oud, daf (frame-drum), together with vocals, darbouka (goblet drum), and violin or cello.

In July 2008 the group took part in a music performance at St John’s Smith Square called TAFAHUM. This was a unique collaboration a classical Arabic ensemble and EMFEB symphony orchestra.

Louai also performed a world premiere of a ney concerto composed and conducted by Benjamin Ellin.

EL ANDALUZ

El-Andaluz are the leading exponents in London of classical Arabic and Andalusian music. They are led by oud (Arab lute) player Yazid Fentazi who has performed with Cheb Mami, Cheb Sahraoui, Master Drummers of Africa, Robert Plant, Marc Almond, Natacha Atlas and Joi. He is accompanied by the inimitable derbouka playing of Karim Dellali, the exciting melodic violin of Frank Biddulph and the oriental bass style of Algerian bassist extraordinaire, Hamid Bouri.

El-Andaluz take the audience on a wonderful journey around the southern shores of the Mediterranean, often beginning with a poetic and reflective Andalusian Nuba, then travelling on to the trance-like Sufi music of the Sahara. They never fail to end the evening by getting the audience on their feet dancing to the celebratory Chaabi music of Algeria, or to a classical Egyptian belly dance.

For more information or to hear the band: www.myspace.com/elandaluzband